Duke Nukem 3D Fan Remake Put On Ice

If you've been anticipating the Gearbox-approved fan remake of Duke Nukem 3D, it's time to put that enthusiasm on hold. According to indie studio Interceptor Entertainment, the team behind the PC remake, the project has been put on hold indefinitely. And before you light those torches and prepare your travel plans to storm Gearbox's office, you should know that the disappointing news isn't their fault.

The news came via a recent forum post from project lead Frederik Schreiber. In it, Schreiber says that while the team still has the noncommercial license to use Duke Nukem, "there are some conditions which we can't live with, with our license and agreement. And because of this, we have decided to put the project on hold." Schreiber later elaborates by complaining that the team doesn't have a guarantee that it can distribute the game to the public once it's finished. Considering the game's multiplayer component was apparently 90 percent complete and was getting close to beta, fans and members of the game's community who donated to the game's cause were appropriately annoyed.

There is a slim beacon of hope, though. "This might change in the future – it all depends on what Gearbox decides to do, after the DNF DLC has been released," Schreiber says. It seems as though Gearbox is either going to have to decide to change the terms of that initial deal or Interceptor will have to learn to live with those terms – if indeed that was the core reason behind putting the game in stasis.